Oliver Bearman

Oliver Bearman – biography, career and results

Quick facts

Who is Oliver Bearman?

Oliver Bearman built a reputation as one of British motorsport's most promising young talents long before he ever signed with a Formula 1 team. Raised through the Ferrari Driver Academy, he worked his way up the ladder from karting to Formula 2 in textbook fashion, winning two national Formula 4 championships in the same year along the way, before getting a call at age 18 to jump into a Ferrari for a single race weekend in place of Carlos Sainz.

What makes Bearman's path unusual is the sheer pace of it: in 2024 he drove three different Formula 1 cars in a single season, scored points on his debut for two different teams, and did all of it while still fighting for the Formula 2 title with Prema. Since joining Haas F1 Team, he has held a permanent seat on the grid, carrying the number 87 he first used back in his karting days.

The early years

Motorsport runs on Bearman's father's side of the family – both his grandfather and his uncle raced at some point – and his father, businessman David Bearman, actively backed his son's career, often travelling with him to race weekends. The family raised him in Chelmsford, Essex, and he started karting as a child at Buckmore Park in Kent.

He made his club-level British karting debut in 2013 at the age of eight and steadily climbed the categories in the years that followed. Racing Honda Cadet machinery, he finished runner-up in the Super 1 National Championship in 2016, then won the Kartmasters British Grand Prix in 2017. The real breakthrough came in 2019: in the X30 Junior category he won the IAME Euro Series, the IAME International Final and the IAME Winter Cup, and a year later he took the Winter Cup again, this time in X30 Senior machinery.

Junior career

Bearman made his single-seater debut in 2020 at fifteen, racing in both the Italian F4 championship and Germany's ADAC Formula 4. In Italy he picked up podium finishes, including a second place at the Red Bull Ring, while in Germany he won a race at Hockenheim in his very first season.

2021 was the turning point: driving for Van Amersfoort Racing, he won the Italian and German Formula 4 championships in the same year, the first driver in the history of the two series to pull off that double. Alongside his two F4 campaigns, he also made nine starts in the British GB3 Championship with Fortec Motorsport – taking a double podium on his debut weekend at Brands Hatch, then his first race win at Snetterton, backed by a pole position set with an 0.8-second margin that stood as a series record. At the end of the season he received the Henry Surtees Award as the British Racing Drivers' Club's outstanding young talent, and it was around this time that he joined the Ferrari Driver Academy.

In 2022 he stepped up to FIA Formula 3 with Prema Racing, taking one win and eight podiums to finish third in the championship, just seven points behind title winner Victor Martins.

The road to Formula 1

As a Ferrari Driver Academy member, Bearman tested regularly at the team's Fiorano circuit and put in extensive work on the Ferrari simulator, all while continuing to race in Formula 2. In 2023 Haas also brought him into its young driver programme, giving him FP1 outings at the Mexico City and Abu Dhabi grands prix to fulfil the mandatory rookie-session requirement, and he took part in the Abu Dhabi young driver test that November.

His 2023 Formula 2 rookie season delivered the real breakthrough: he closed the year with four race wins, and at the Baku weekend he was fastest in every single session – qualifying and both races – becoming the first driver in the championship's history to sweep an entire round. That performance, combined with his Ferrari testing work and his time with Haas, was enough to convince Ferrari to name him its official reserve driver for the 2024 season.

Formula 1 career

His debut arrived far sooner than anyone expected: at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, after Carlos Sainz was hospitalised with appendicitis, Ferrari put the 18-year-old Bearman in the car with only hours to prepare. He finished seventh in Jeddah, scored a point and was named Driver of the Day, instantly becoming both the youngest driver ever to race for Ferrari and the youngest to score points on debut.

Barely two months later, Haas called on him too: with Kevin Magnussen serving a race ban, Bearman stepped in for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and scored points again, making him the first driver in the sport's history to score on debut for two different teams in the same season. That autumn, he stood in for Magnussen once more at the São Paulo Grand Prix weekend after Magnussen fell ill. Those three stand-in appearances ultimately earned him a permanent place in Formula 1: in the summer of 2024 he signed a multi-year deal with Haas F1 Team, became a full-time driver alongside Esteban Ocon from 2025, and continues racing for Haas alongside Ocon in 2026.

Notable results outside Formula 1

Career timeline

• 2013 – starts karting at Buckmore Park
• 2017 – wins the Kartmasters British Grand Prix in Honda Cadet
• 2019 – wins the IAME Euro Series, International Final and Winter Cup in X30 Junior
• 2020 – single-seater debut in Italian and ADAC Formula 4
• 2021 – wins the Italian and German Formula 4 championships in the same year, joins the Ferrari Driver Academy
• 2022 – finishes 3rd in FIA Formula 3 with Prema
• 2023 – closes his Formula 2 rookie season with four wins, makes FP1 appearances for Haas
• 2024 – makes his Formula 1 debut for Ferrari in Jeddah, then signs a multi-year deal with Haas F1 Team
• 2025 – his first full Formula 1 season as a Haas driver

Facts about Oliver Bearman's career

• His Formula 1 number, 87, is the same one he raced under in karting.
• In 2024 he became the first driver in Formula 1 history to score points on debut for two different teams (Ferrari, then Haas) in the same season.
• In 2021 he became the first driver to win the Italian and German Formula 4 championships in the same year.
• At the 2023 Formula 2 round in Baku he became the first driver in the championship's history to top every session of a weekend – qualifying, the sprint race and the feature race.
• During his GB3 guest appearance in 2021 he took pole at Snetterton by a margin of 0.8 seconds, a series record.
• He made his Ferrari debut at 18, with only hours to prepare, at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after Carlos Sainz was pulled from the car at the last minute for medical reasons.

Frequently asked questions about Oliver Bearman's career

When did Oliver Bearman start racing?

He started karting at eight years old in 2013 at Buckmore Park in Kent, then moved up to single-seaters in 2020 at fifteen.

What championship did Oliver Bearman win before Formula 1?

In 2021 he won the Italian and German (ADAC) Formula 4 championships in the same year with Van Amersfoort Racing – the first driver in the history of the two series to claim both titles in one season.

How did Oliver Bearman make it to Formula 1?

As a Ferrari Driver Academy member, he built his standing within the team through testing at Fiorano and simulator work, while also proving himself in FP1 sessions with Haas in 2023. His strong Formula 2 rookie season, including his dominant weekend in Baku, convinced Ferrari to name him reserve driver for 2024.

Did Oliver Bearman race in any other series alongside Formula 2?

Yes. In 2021, alongside his two Formula 4 championships, he also made nine starts in the British GB3 Championship with Fortec Motorsport, taking a race win and several podiums.

How did Oliver Bearman make his Formula 1 debut?

At the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for Ferrari, after Carlos Sainz was hospitalised with appendicitis. Bearman finished seventh, scored points and was named Driver of the Day.

Why does Oliver Bearman use the number 87?

He already carried that number as a karting driver, and he has kept it throughout his Formula 1 career.

Sources

• FIA Formula 2 – Oliver Bearman, F2 Hall of Fame
• Formula1.com – Oliver Bearman official driver profile
• Formula1.com – Oliver Bearman on a whirlwind 2023
• Formula1.com – Driver of the Day: Bearman's P7 Ferrari debut
• Formula Scout – Scout Report: Ollie Bearman
• GB3 Championship official site – GB3 alumni in the Formula 1 paddock
• Haas F1 Team – São Paulo Grand Prix Race Recap
• Sky Sports – Saudi Arabian GP: Bearman finishes seventh on debut
• BBC News – New F1 driver 'keeps it real', mum says
• Yahoo Sports – How Oliver Bearman went from Chelmsford to Formula One